Feinstein & Leahy reiterate plan to vote against Alito

[kpete]

Feinstein reiterated that she planned to vote against Alito, a federal appellate judge from New Jersey, because of his conservative statements on congressional power and on Roe vs. Wade, the decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Before becoming a judge, Alito wrote that Roe was "wrongly decided" and laid out a strategy to dismantle it.

Feinstein and others cautioned that it was too soon to be certain how Democrats would vote on the nomination, because many members were not back from the winter recess and hadn't made up their minds.

However, most Democrats appeared to be against approval, although few expressed enthusiasm for a filibuster.

"I'm not a fan of Alito," the chamber's Democratic leader, Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, said Wednesday. He deflected a follow-up question on the possibility of a filibuster: "No decision has been made on that."

http://www.latimes.com/news/politics/la-na-alito19jan19,0,7275699.story?coll=la-headlines-politics

Sen. Leahy opposes Alito nomination 8 minutes ago



WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced his opposition on Thursday to Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.

Leahy charged that President George W. Bush's 55-year-old conservative candidate failed to demonstrate at last week's confirmation hearing that he would bring a needed independence to the nation's highest court.

"At a time when the president is seizing unprecedented power, the Supreme Court needs to act as a check and to provide balance," Leahy said in a speech prepared for delivery at Georgetown University Law Center.

"I have no confidence that Judge Alito would provide that check and balance," Leahy said. "I cannot support this nomination."

Other leading Senate Democrats planned to declare their opposition later in the day to Alito, who nonetheless appears headed toward confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060119/pl_nm/usa_court_alito_dc

[babylonsister]

1. Thanks, kpete. This is the first I've read this-good news! nt

[f-bush]

2. Good

We need to keep the heat on spinless Dems